New trends come and go, but some are here to stay. Who would have thought back in the 90s that everything we knew about business was going to change? In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the internet became a real player in business the world over.
Here are some trends to watch for in the years ahead.
* 3D Printing Goes Mainstream – You have heard of 3D printers, and you probably don’t even realize it, but newer computers starting with Windows 8.1 have native support for 3D printers. This means that home and business 3D printing is here already. What do you think you could print out for your business?
* Marketing in Alternate Reality Expands – Gaming has long been a place where marketers like to promote their offerings. As alternate reality becomes even more popular, and technology becomes more powerful, it is even easier to find ways to promote your products and services, where your audience is, playing games.
* Acceptance of Working from Home – With connections to the internet becoming better all the time, more people can work from home, or for that matter, any location they want to be at. For years, people who didn’t understand technology scoffed at the idea of working from home, and internet marketers were often thought of as scammers. Today, internet marketing principles are even taught in schools.
* Software Moves to the Cloud – Software, now, and more so in the future, will only available via the cloud, instead of local installations. The reason being, the advanced technology is moving so quickly, that it enables customers to updates, instead of having to wait, and pay for the upgraded software yearly. Now it is included as a monthly fee.
* More Automation Available – As technology gets better, there will be more business automation available, making various tasks in your business easier. From automated checkout, to triggers to put people on the right email list, to keeping track of sales, and much more. It is all going to get easier for the end user as the technology improves.
* Access to Big Data Bases – Businesses that are most successful use big data bases allowing them to make decisions very fast. No matter what type of business you have, you can use data gathered to improve the results of your business activities.
* Internet of Everything – Entire homes are wired to the internet, so that you can start your sprinklers, turn lights on and off, via the internet. If you have a newer car, it is already connected. Even your coffee pot can be wired to the net, so that you can control it from anywhere. The Internet of “Everything” is already working, and will only expand.
* Increased Mobility – More people buy mobile devices, rather than buying desktop PCs today. Everyone wants to be able to work from anyplace, and the technology is improving to the point that allows you to do just that. As long as you have access to cloud-based software via the internet, and a device that connects to the cloud, you can work from beside your pool, or an ocean side resort.
* Organizations Learn to Embrace Change – For a long time people were reluctant to change, and some people still have that hang-up. But as time moves on, we all have to accept that change is the name of the game. Organizations are now researching killer technologies so they can stay ahead of the curve, and embrace change instead of fearing it.
* The User Experience Takes the Lead – Businesses want to give their customers user friendly environments, shopping for their products or services, and that will always be driving new innovation.
Watch these trends this year, and in the future, and you will always stay on the cutting edge, for you and your business. You will not be shocked by new advances in technologies, that could make any business obsolete, if changes are ignored. Embrace change, stay ahead of it, and your business will keep thriving.
